March Makeup Madness-Beth’s starting lineup

Yesterday Sarah shared her starting lineup of favorite, tried-and-true cosmetics. Today it’s my turn. Truthfully, my starting lineup changes all the time. I like to use products for a month, then move on to something new, or go back to something I haven’t used in awhile. It keeps my makeup routine fun and fresh. So these items are my current favorites, the ones I use most days.

Beth’s Starting Lineup

1. Too Faced Tinted Beauty Balm SPF 20 – $34 I’ve been using this BB cream for only a month but it’s going to be a permanent resident in my makeup bag. This is the lightest BB cream/foundation I’ve ever used. It’s really more of a tinted moisturizer, but it has great coverage and evening properties, and it just feels light and fresh. Available in five shades, I use the lightest one, Snow Glow.

3. Crystal Nail File – $10 After years of using metal and sandpaper emery boards, I was reading a post by The Nailasaurus and she said that she uses a glass nail file, which I’d never heard of. Then I was in a local bath/fragrance store and they were selling glass (also called crystal) nail files by the register so I decided to give one a whirl. I’m really happy with the quality of this file. Glass files don’t use a gritty surface to shape the nail, which is what you find with metal or sandpaper emery boards. If you run your finger over the surface of the glass file, it’s smooth, but somehow it still shapes my nails really nicely. Glass files are also much, much longer lasting since you don’t have to worry about the grittiness filing down.

4. Lush Lip Scrub in Popcorn – $9.99 I originally wrote about this product after Santa put it in my stocking, and I’m still happy to be using it. It’s a delicious exfoliating scrub that tastes like kettle corn–salty and sweet. Unfortunately, the online Lush store seems not to be offering this specific flavor. But they still have Bubble Gum, Mint Julips, and Sweet Lips to choose from.

6. MAC Eyeshadow in Shroom – $15 I’ve used this particular shade of eye shadow longer than any of the other cosmetics shown above…like, eight years. It’s the perfect neutral with a bit of shimmer. I like to wear it as a base with just eyeliner and mascara–the powder prevents the eyeliner from smudging or transferring to the top of the lid.

7.e.l.f. Essential All Over Color Stick in Persimmon – $5.47 E.l.f. is a really awesome brand that I’ve just started using. Not everything they make is great and sometimes their products are difficult to find, but the winners are really amazing, especially because they’re SO cheap. Enter the All Over Color Stick. This is one of those color sticks, like NARS The Multiple, that is usually used as a blusher or highlighter on the face, but can also be used on the lips and eyes. I use this stick exclusively on the apples of my cheeks. This shade doesn’t give color so much as just illumination–it’s really beautiful and fresh-looking.

8. INM Northern Lights Hologram Top Coat – $6.59 You KNEW I had to include nailpolish in this post, right? Yes, my new fave is this top coat which adds a holographic effect (sparkle and depth) to any basic polish. It’s a great way to dress up any blah polish, or if you’re on one of the last days of your manicure and want it to last a little longer, slather this on top. I’ve found that you need two coats to get a really holographic effect.

9.Rimmel Stay Glossy Lip Gloss – $4.99 Rimmel has long been one of my favorite brands. Totally reasonable prices and a really, really good product. They make a great lip gloss in lots of different subtle colors, with just a hint of shimmer and no stickiness. Plus, for a gloss, it’s pretty long-lasting. My favorite colors are My Eternity which is a nude hue with a bit of pink, and Unlimited Gold (shown above) which is goldish without being Goldmemberish, plus lots of sparkle (but no glitter).

10. Rimmel Exaggerate Lip Liner in Addiction – $5.42 Another Rimmel product, yay! This is my new favorite nude lip liner–a bit of pink, a bit of brown, and great for daytime wear. Also, self-sharpening which is great. Lots of other colors available!

11. Rimmel Exaggerate Waterproof Eye Definer in Noir- $5.67 More Rimmel! I’ve used this eye liner forever. It remains my favorite, one of the few cosmetics I don’t cycle out because it’s so good. It stays in place throughout the day, it’s pretty easily applied, it’s possible to smudge it if you prefer a less defined line, it comes off easily with makeup remover. Noir is the only color I’ve used (though I’ll probably try more shades eventually), and it’s really intensely black.

12. Thymes Hand Lotion in Lavender – $12.99 So we end on a product that’s not really a cosmetic, but I’ve been using this every day for awhile now so I thought I’d include it. Thymes is my favorite home fragrance brand. They’re a smaller company, and they make small batches of really high quality lotion, bath salts, shower gel, potpourri, candles, and reed diffusers. Some of their products are pricey but you definitely get what you pay for. I’ve been using the lavender scented hand lotion every day and it’s a little bit of heaven. Soft lavender smell, great moisturizing properties.

Tune in tomorrow for Sarah’s benched players! Have some products in your lineup you can’t live without? Tell us about them in the comments, or leave a pic on our Facebook page.